Norwich City Women have made their first signing of the summer by bringing in goalkeeper Poppy Irvine from Birmingham City.
The club announced Irvine’s arrival on X on Friday, describing the 20-year-old as the first player through the door. That gives Andy Cook and his staff an early addition in a position where rhythm and trust matter more than most.
Irvine arrives from a professional Birmingham set-up, with her WSL Football profile listing her as a 20-year-old English goalkeeper who was part of the club’s WSL 2 squad.
Irvine Brings Loan Experience To Norwich
The move gives Norwich a young goalkeeper with more than academy football behind her.
Cheltenham Town confirmed in January that Irvine had joined on loan from Birmingham after a spell at Sporting Khalsa. The Robinesses also noted that she had won Birmingham’s Under-21s Players’ Player of the Season award in 2023/24.
That background should help Norwich. Irvine has already had to adapt to different changing rooms, styles and levels of senior football.
For a newly promoted side preparing for life in the FAWNL Northern Premier Division, that kind of experience has value.
Norwich Staff Must Now Give Her A Clear Role
This signing also brings Norwich’s coaching structure into focus.
ReadNorwich has already covered how Megan Todd’s return gives the women’s side a stronger staff anchor. Irvine’s arrival is the type of deal that will test that work quickly.
Goalkeepers do not settle through minutes alone. They need repetition with the back line, clear communication habits and a proper understanding of how the team wants to play out from the back.
Norwich now have time to build that before the new season starts.
The move also fits the wider growth of the women’s side. ReadNorwich has already looked at how the season-ticket launch gives Norwich a first Tier 3 demand test, and early recruitment helps keep that momentum attached to the football.
For Irvine, the next step is simple. She has to turn promise into trust.
For Norwich, this looks like sensible early business: a young goalkeeper from a higher-league environment, signed early enough for the staff to find out exactly where she fits.
